A 50,000-square-foot area near the Pepsi Center will be set aside for protests and demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in August.

The city and county of Denver has not disclosed how far the public demonstration zone will be from delegates or where the zone will exist within the large Parking Lot A, but the fencing around the zone will allow the protests to be seen and heard.

Attorney Steven Zansberg, who is representing several groups that plan to hold demonstrations, revealed the details during a hearing Monday before Judge Marcia S. Krieger.

The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of several advocacy groups, filed a federal lawsuit against the city and the U.S. Secret Service, seeking the conditions for protests during the convention.

The ACLU has said it wants to avoid the conditions that existed during the 2004 convention in Boston, where protesters were caged, infuriating First Amendment advocates.

Protest groups did not say Monday whether they thought the Denver proposal was an improvement over Boston’s, although it appears that demonstrators will be closer to the venue than they were in 2004.

Two phases

The first phase of the lawsuit asks the court to compel the city and the Secret Service to disclose the information on protest restrictions; the second phase will address whether the restrictions are unconstitutional.

Thursday, the city is expected to disclose the parade route, but where the route ends might be subject to a protective order, which means that for security reasons it would be revealed only to the judge and attorneys.

By June 23, city officials agreed they will reveal the restrictions on protesters within the parade route and in the public demonstration zone, but some of those details might also be subject to a protective order.

The groups want to know how high the fencing will be, what type of fence will be erected and whether they will be allowed to hand leaflets to delegates from the zone.

Protective order

Zansberg, who also represents The Post on First Amendment issues, said the ACLU will oppose a protective order on the information because the public has a right to know the conditions for planning purposes. The public, Zansberg said, must also be able to see the restrictions to decide whether to contest them if they are unconstitutional.

Zansberg also criticized the credibility of public officials, who in past declarations have said that disclosing the information would “seriously impair” public safety.

Krieger set a June 30 hearing for both sides to file briefs on whether a protective order is necessary.

At that hearing, the advocacy groups must also list any constitutional questions they have about the restrictions for the demonstration zone and the parade route.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday that he respects the decision of Denver Broncos players on Sunday to protest President Donald Trump and that the president’s NFL criticism was a bid to “distract the country” from his policy failures.

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